Bill O'Neal

Infobox Writer
name = Bill O'Neal


imagesize =
caption =
birthdate = birth date and age|1942|4|8
birthplace = Corsicana, Navarro County, Texas, USA
deathdate =
deathplace =
occupation = Historian and Author
Radio host
Retired college professor in
Carthage, Panola County, Texas
birthname = John William O'Neal
nationality = American
residence =
spouse=(1) Divorced from Katherine Berry of Dallas, TX, (2) Divorced from Faye Gipson O'Neal, later Faye G. Frasier
(3) Karon Ashby O'Neal (born ca. 1960)
children=Four daughters by second marriage (Faye Gipson Frasier):
Lynn O. Martinez of Mansfield, TexasDr. Shellie O'Neal, Ph.D., of Corsicana
Dr. Berri O. Gormley, Ed.D., of Irving, Texas
Causby O. Henderson of Allen, Texas
period = 19th century; 20th century
subject = Western history
notableworks =
website =
footnotes=(1) As a professor, O'Neal threw himself into the task by often donning the clothing of pertinent figures and stressing the importance of history to one's daily life.

(2) Though O'Neal has written on numerous subjects, his principal work is in the field of the American West, for which he has been recognized by "True West" magazine.

(3) O'Neal has been a radio host for more than thirty years in Carthage, Texas, his city of residence.

John William O'Neal, known as Bill O'Neal (born April 8, 1942), [http://ftp.rootsweb.ancestry.com/pub/usgenweb/tx/navarro/vitals/births/1942/navab42.txt] is an American historian who has penned more than thirty books on such subjects as the American West, including gun fighters, lawmen, and ghost towns; Country music, with emphasis on Texas artists; baseball, such as his study of the Texas League, and children's books, including the first Thanksgiving held in Texas. He retired in 2003 as a history professor at Panola College, a junior college in Carthage, the seat of Panola County in East Texas, located southwest of Shreveport, Louisiana. Meanwhile, O'Neal continues his prolific writing career. A member of the Western Writers of America, he has appeared in television documentaries on Turner Network Television, The History Channel, the British Broadcasting Corporation, the Discovery Channel, Turner Broadcasting System, and the Arts and Entertainment Channel. [http://www.billonealbooks.com/ Bill O'Neal Books - Western Outlaws, Lawmen, and TX History ] ]

Early years, education, family

O'Neal was born in Corsicana, the seat of Navarro County in east central Texas to William Causby "Bud" O'Neal (1915-1991), a 1939 B.S. graduate of Texas A&M University, and the former Jessie Standard (1918-2002), originally from Lampasas near Temple in Central Texas. O'Neal's maternal great-grandfather drove cattle on the Chisholm Trail; his grandmother, Janie Lucile Standard, came to Texas in 1881 in a covered wagon. Bud and Jessie married on April 9, 1940, and owned a farm retail store in Corsicana. O'Neal has a younger sister, Judy O'Neal Smith (March 20, 1944), a brother, Michael Ross "Mike" O'Neal (June 25, 1952) of Carrollton near Dallas. [ [http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~txnavarr/obituaries/pg90034.htm Obituaries - Page 90034 ] ]

In 1960, O'Neal graduated from Corsicana High School. He thereafter enrolled at, first, Navarro College in Corsicana and then Texas A&M University-Commerce, then known as East Texas State University in Commerce, a city in Hunt County. He received his bachelor's and master's degrees from A&M-Commerce in 1964 and 1969, respectively. O'Neal served as athletic director and head football coach at Anna High School (1967-68) and at Waskom High School (1968-1970). O'Neal first married the former Kathryn Berry of Dallas, Texas. After their divorce, O'Neal married Faye Gipson of Garrison. Faye remarried after their divorce and is now Faye G. Frasier of Corpus Christi. Bill and Faye had four daughters: Lynn O. Martinez (born 1972 and married to Rudy Martinez)of Mansfield, Texas in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, a twin sister, Dr. Shellie O'Neal,(born 1972), a theatre professor at Navarro College, Dr. Berri O. Gormley, (born 1975 and married to Drew Gormley) of Irving, Texas, Executive Director, Universities Center at Dallas (www.ucddowntown.org) and adjunct professor, Texas A&M University-Commerce, and Causby Lea Henderson (born 1980 and married to Dusty Lee Henderson) of Allen north of Dallas. [http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~txnavarr/obituaries/pg90034.htm; http://ftp.rootsweb.ancestry.com/pub/usgenweb/tx/panola/vitals/births/1980/panolv80.txt] O'Neal's third wife is the former Karon Ashby (December 23, 1960), the head of the Panola College mathematics department. [ [http://www.ams.org/dirinst/tx.html AMS Directory of Institutions | ] ]

Panola College, radio, civic affairs

In 1968-1969, O'Neal taught as a Graduate Assistant in the History Department at East Texas State University in Commerce, Texas.

In 1970, he became a full-time faculty member at Panola College, a position that he held for thirty-three years. During his teaching career, O'Neal often dressed in the clothing which might have been worn by various historical characters. He attempted to convince students of the value of history in their daily lives and the unique information available through historical research. He also created a "Traveling Texas" history course. [http://www.panola.edu/recruiting/pr2003/billoneal.htm End Of An Era ] ] Panola College was founded in 1947 to offer educational opportunities, primarily, to returning World War II personnel. In 1973, O'Neal wrote "Panola Junior College: The First Twenty-Five Years". He did an updated version "Panola College, 1947-1997" for the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the institution. [ [http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/PP/kcp2.html Handbook of Texas Online - PANOLA COLLEGE ] ]

In addition to his books, many of which have gained popularity beyond historical circles, O'Neal has written hundreds of scholarly articles and book reviews. He lectures before historical associations and related public gatherings. On April 5, 2008, O'Neal addressed the West Texas Historical Association annual meeting at West Texas A&M University in Canyon with a well-received lecture on how Texans, such as Gene Autry, Jim Reeves, Tex Ritter, and Bob Wills, have numerically dominated the field of Country music. Moreover, the state has produced artists in other fields of music too: Mary Martin, Janis Joplin, Buddy Holly, and Van Cliburn. [West Texas Historical Association, West Texas A&M University, Canyon, Texas, Annual meeting, April 4-5, 2008]

O'Neal is a member of the Panola County Chamber of Commerce and serves on the executive board of the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame, whose inductees include Reeves and Ritter, the latter the subject of an O'Neal book.

O'Neal has also been active as a part-time radio personality on KGASdn in Carthage for more than three decades. His interest in radio began with the popular songs of the 1950s and 1960s.

Awards

In 1973, O'Neal received the first annual "Excellent Teacher" award at Panola College. In 1987, he was named "Alumnus of the Year" by both Navarro College and Texas A&M University-Commerce. He was "Panola County Citizen of the Year" in 1988. In 2000, he was awarded Minnie Stevens Piper Professorship, and he remains the only Panola College faculty member to ever recive a Piper Professorship.

O'Neal has been cited for his "meticulous research" by the "Western Historical Quarterly", published by Utah State University at Logan. [ [http://www.historycooperative.org/cgi-bin/justtop.cgi?act=justtop&url=http://www.historycooperative.org/journals/whq/36.4/br_34.html | Book Review | The Western Historical Quarterly, 36.4 | The History Cooperative ] ]

In 2005, O'Neal received the National Association of Outlaw and Lawmen Association (NOLA) award for his "The Johnson County War", a study of the 1892 struggle between small farmers and wealthy ranchers in Johnson County in northern Wyoming. See Johnson County War.

In 2007, he was named the "Best Living Non-Fiction Writer" by "True West Magazine".

Anthology

Western titles

*"Encyclopedia of Western Gunfighters" (1991)

*"Henry Brown, the Outlaw-Marshal (The Early West)"; published 1980; see Henry Newton Brown

*"Arizona Rangers" (1988)

*"Cattlemen v. Sheepherders: Five Decades of Violence in the West, 1880-1920" (1989)

*"Fighting Men of the Indian Wars" (1991)

*"Legends of the Wild West" (1995); co-authors Dale Crutchfield and Dale L. Walker

*"Ghost Towns of the American West" (1995)

*"Best of the West" (1997)

*"Historic Ranches of the Old West" (1997)

*"The Bloody Legacy of Pink Higgins: A Half Century of Violence in Texas" (1999)

*"Great Gunfighters of the Wild West: Twenty Courageous Westerners Who Struggled With Right and Wrong, Good and Evil, Law and Order" (2001)

*"The Wild West" (2002)

*"Harry Wheeler, Arizona Lawman" (2003), not to be confused with Harry Wheeler, the baseball player

*"The Johnson County War" (2004)

*"Cheyenne, 1867-1903': A Biography of the Magic City of the Plains" (2006)

*"Brick Book Best of the West" (2007)

*"Border Queen Caldwell, Toughest Town on the Chisolm Trail" (2008)

Baseball titles

*"The Texas League 1888-1987: A Century of Baseball" (1987)

*"The American Association: A Baseball History, 1902-1991" (1992); see American Association.

*"The International League: A Baseball History, 1884-1992" (1992); see International League

*"The Pacific Coast League, 1903-1888" (1990); see Pacific Coast League.

*"The Southern League, 1885-1994" (1994); see Southern League.

Children's books

*"Great Gunfighters of the Wild West"

*"The First Thanksgiving - It Happened in Texas" (2000)

*"Doris Miller, Hero of Pearl Harbor" (2007); see Doris Miller.

Other titles

*"Tex Ritter: America's Most Beloved Cowboy", Austin: Eakin Press, 1998

*"Reel Cowboys" (2000)

*"The Sons of the Pioneers" (2001), co-author Fred Goodwin; see Sons of the Pioneers

*"Sam Houston Slept Here: Guide to the Homes of Texas' Chief Executives" (2004)

*"Regulator-Moderator War"

*"Reel Rangers': Texas Rangers in Movies, TV, Radio, and Other Forms of Popular Culture"

References